ReutersPinnacle Foods Inc.,said it would buy Boulder Brands Inc., the maker of Udi's gluten-free products and Earth Balance vegan packaged foods, for about $710 million to expand its health and wellness offerings.

Food Chemical NewsFDA's Food Advisory Committee will tackle the agency's oversight of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods at a meeting next month that will likely signal policy changes under review at the agency.READ MORE

Food Business NewsMore M&A may be on the way for Post Holdings, Inc., said Rob Vitale, president and chief executive officer. Over the past two years, the St. Louis-based holdings company has built a diversified portfolio that includes ready-to-eat cereal, egg ingredients, protein bars and nut butters. Most recently, in September, the company agreed to acquire Willamette Egg Farms, LLC to expand its egg business.READ MORE

PoliticoWith just two weeks left until the government runs out of money, there is increasing pressure from congressional Republicans to use a must-pass spending bill to force President Barack Obama into accepting several controversial policy riders — including new curbs on the Syrian resettlement program.

PoliticoThe untamable 2016 campaign has settled into a kind of comprehensible chaos with 60 days until the Iowa caucuses.
Donald Trump, a contender who embodies the ultimate cross-pollination of politics and entertainment that began with Ronald Reagan, continues to easily outpace Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio in what has become essentially a four-man field (with Jeb Bush and his millions lingering outside the circle of power).
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The Washington PostThe race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination enters a new and urgent phase this week after an already brutish stretch in which the dominance of Donald Trump and Ben Carson has exasperated rivals and the party’s political class.READ MORE

Food Safety NewsThe White House has released its "Current Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions" for fall 2015, which provides an overview of the Obama administration’s regulatory plans for the coming year. Two final rules expected to be released in December by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service deal with catfish and ground beef.READ MORE

Agri-PulseUSDA released a final rule establishing an inspection service for imported and domestically-raised catfish, implementing provisions required by the 2014 farm bill. When the rule takes effect in March, 90 days after being published in the Federal Register, regulatory responsibility for catfish and similar fish will shift to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service from the Food and Drug Administration, which will continue to regulate other fish.READ MORE

Food Chemical NewsThe European biotechnology industry association, EuropaBio, has called for the end of mandatory 90-day feeding studies in rodents for risk assessments of genetically modified crops. The call comes after the final results of an EU project concluded that there was no scientific justification for such studies.READ MORE

Business InsiderNew York City begins a new era in nutritional warnings this week, when chain restaurants will have to start putting a special symbol on highly salty dishes. The first-of-its-kind rule takes effect Tuesday. It will require a salt-shaker emblem on some sandwiches, salads and other menu items that top the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams — about a teaspoon — of sodium.READ MORE

Food Safety NewsFor the estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people in the United States who are allergic to sesame, the recently introduced Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 comes as good news. Included in the act’s provisions, which primarily seek to give consumers easy-to-understand labels on food so they can make healthy choices, is Section 8, which would require sesame to be placed on the list of major food allergens.READ MORE

Food Business NewsThe frozen foods aisle lately could be called "Acquisition alley." Last year General Mills acquired Annie’s while Pinnacle Foods announced plans to buy Garden Protein International, Inc. This year, B&G Foods announced plans to acquire the Green Giant brand from General Mills, and WhiteWave Foods showed interest in becoming a player in frozen foods.READ MORE

The Wall Street JournalWith the release of the eighth edition of the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines expected by year's end, it seems reasonable to consider — with the "obesity plague" upon us and Americans arguably less healthy than ever before — whether the guidelines are to be trusted and even whether they have done more harm than good.READ MORE

Food Business NewsGeneral Mills, Inc., has joined The Kellogg Co. in committing to provide 100 percent cage-free eggs for its U.S. operations by 2025. General Mills first announced it would stop buying eggs that come from caged hens back in July, and recently laid out a timeline in which it plans to reach that commitment. Kellogg unveiled its timeline in late October.READ MORE

Business InsiderAd agency Moosylvania asked over 3,500 millennials — defined as 20 to 35-year-olds — to select their favorite brands over the past three years. Great Questions, LLC helped rank the winning brands, some of which were surprising.READ MORE

Food Business NewsMaple Leaf Foods said it will eliminate more than 400 positions as part of a streamlining of its organization. The announcement follows a comprehensive review by the company to look for ways to establish a highly competitive cost structure and support a renewed focus on growth.READ MORE

Food Navigator-USASeasonal flavors and limited edition offerings can generate consumer excitement and help focus their attention during the holidays when they often are inundated with indulgences and pulled in multiple directions. Here is a sampling of products offering innovative holiday flavors as well as twists on the classics.READ MORE

Nation's Restaurant NewsButter is emerging as one of the clear winners in the food wars, the beneficiary of a major reconsideration of the role and importance of fats in the American diet. It has been on the comeback trail for some time, with the American Butter Institute reporting that consumption has risen 25 percent over the past decade and hit a 40-year high of nearly six pounds per capita.READ MORE